1. Technical Field
The disclosure generally relates to food processing equipment and, more particularly, to equipment for processing chocolate. Specifically, the disclosure relates to a machine used to dispense chocolate clusters without breaking the aggregate in the clusters.
2. Background Information
One of the more popular chocolate food items is a chocolate cluster. A chocolate cluster includes an aggregate food item disposed randomly in a chocolate binder. The aggregate may be essentially any food item that consumers enjoy eating in combination with chocolate. Examples of aggregate include nuts, fruit, candy, salted snack items, and any other item that may be consumed with chocolate. Those in the chocolate industry recognize the most desirable chocolate clusters are those made by hand. Hand formation is desirable because the person making the cluster does not break or crush the aggregate and randomly forms the cluster. The consumer values whole aggregate especially when the aggregate is nuts or small pieces of fruit. Hand forming clusters is labor intensive and time consuming and is thus expensive. The industry thus desires an automated cluster manufacturing machine that forms clusters filled with substantially unbroken aggregate and having a hand-formed appearance.